Finding an Excuse to Work with Games 101

So this week marks the beginning of my second year at Georgia Tech. In the past, I’ve said things like I’m “looking forward to this class” or “this could be interesting.” For the first time, I think I’m legitimately excited for a class. Does that make me a nerd? Absolutely, but that shouldn’t be a surprise if you’re reading this blog.

The class is titled “Introduction to Computational Media,” but it doesn’t seem like an introduction at all considering it’s a second year, second level course. Looking at the schedule, there appears to be a lot of reading, but there are also a number of unusual topics and assignments, such as “Play Zork,” “Play The Legend of Zelda,” and most of all, “Homebrew Atari 2600 Development.” I’ve started making games before this class, but finally getting to make games for a class feels like a major progression from the first year of college into the second. The course was initially scheduled to be taught by Ian Bogost, but is now being led by Brian Magerko. Brian claims to specialize in “artificial intelligence for interactive storytelling.” As much as I was looking forward to a class with Dr. Bogost, I think it should still turn out well.